While any fundamental changes to the Advertising Codes are generally subject to public consultation, from time to time, as part of its on-going work, the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) introduce minor amendments that ensure the rules continue to work well for both advertisers and consumers. Following a recent ASA ruling that an ad had brought advertising into disrepute, CAP considered the use of the relevant CAP Code rule (rule 1.5) and as a result has issued some updated advice on it.

CAP also considered whether the Code adequately addressed the issue of breaching rule 1.5 and decided that a minor amendment needed to be made. The Code already enables the ASA and CAP to require persistent offenders to have their non-broadcast advertising run past the Copy Advice team before it can be published; CAP has now extended that to also include advertising by those who have been found to bring advertising into disrepute. The pre-publication part of the How the System Works section of the CAP Code has now been amended to state:

“The ASA and CAP may require persistent offenders, or those whose marketing communications bring advertising into disrepute, to have some or all of their marketing communications vetted by the CAP Copy Advice team until the ASA and CAP are satisfied that future communications will comply with the Code.”

It should be noted that the wording states that the sanction “may” be required; therefore, it would not automatically be used for all such breaches of the Code but would be open as an option for the ASA and CAP to use at our discretion.


More on


  • Keep up to date

    Sign up to our rulings, newsletters and emargoed access for Press. Subscribe now.